Stefan's Death
by Prue Lawrence
Summary: Stefan is dead, but now it's up to Elena and Damon to figure out whether or not he's actually alive as Katherine comes to them and proposes the possibility of them getting Stefan back. Elena and Damon are having difficulties figuring out their feeligns for each other.
1. Chapter 1

***I am just a humble screaming fangirl. These are not my characters, this is just my way of showing appreciation for the story.***

Elena sat on the edge of her bed, her fingers curling around a framed picture of her and Stefan laughing together in a photo booth. A tear rolled over the tip of her nose, dripping down onto the glass.

A sharp wind sounded near her ear. Elena didn't look up; she wasn't even startled.

"Damon, not now," she murmured without taking her eyes off of the photo. She wiped at her nose and eyes, sniffing. She grasped for a tissue near her bed, where it once would have joined a larger pile six months ago.

She felt him sit down on the bed beside her, at least a foot away. She glanced up at him. His raven black hair curtained over his eyes. Maybe it was better that she couldn't see his expression. It was rare to see him angry, or even remotely upset. This she knew, would be an exception.

"It's been six months, Elena," he said. There was no emotion in his voice.

"Don't kid yourself. It hurts more for you that Stefan's gone," the girl replied.

"You can't just sit here moping about it," Damon replied. "Come on." His voice would have sounded alluring, if not for the underlying pain in his voice. He stood in front of her, but she didn't take her eyes off of the picture of Stefan.

The photo was pulled forcibly out of her hands and thrown onto the bed beside her.

"Damon—" She glared at him.

"He wouldn't want you to be depressed like this."

"It's not like depression is something that can be controlled," she murmured. "It was worse when it… when it first happened."

"Well, it isn't helping when you just sit around doing nothing."

Her face heated up. "I have a job, Damon. I'm trying to get on with my life."

Damon laughed. "And you're doing that by staring at pictures of your dead boyfriend? Get over yourself."

"You know, you can be a real asshole sometimes, Damon."

"Really? I wasnaware of this. Come on," he repeated. "He's gone, and there's nothing you can do about that. There's a festival tonight. Have fun for once. The pain numbs after a while. Get a mental narcotic, Elena."

"From a ferris wheel?" she asked, sardonically.

"Yes, a narcotic ferris wheel. You will literally be high. Whatever the hell you want Elena, just stop being so depressed." His larger hands took hers, and he lifted the girl up. She let him, considering that if she refused, he'd force her to stand, anyway.

She smiled for the first time in what felt like months. "You owe me a ferris wheel ride."

Snowflakes drifted down from the sky silently. Elena reached out a gloved hand to catch a few. Damon said nothing, walking beside her. She stopped at her car, reaching out her hand to pull open the door, when Damon's hand closed over hers.

"Why don't we just walk?" he asked from behind his scarf. She glanced up at him.

"It's freezing, Damon."

He smirked. "Come on. I'll even give you my coat."

"I have one, thanks."

"You forget, I can't really feel the cold."

"Then why do you wear a coat?"

"Because coats are stylish. Besides, girls can't get enough of me without one." He raised and quivered his eyebrows in the most Damon-like manner. Elena had to smile.

"It's been a while since you've done that you know," the girl said.

"What thing?" He repeated the action, and she smiled.

"That eyebrow thing."

He scoffed. "Come on, let's just walk."

He took her hand, and she nearly stepped away. An image of Stefan came into her mind. She continued walking with him. If anything, it was just to be comforting.

Damon stepped through a makeshift kissing gate and into the fairground, gesturing for Elena to walk through as well. He had let go of her hand momentarily, and Elena wondered if he would take it again. He didn't, and Elena quickly knew why.

Bonnie ran up to the two of them from somewhere unknown to Elena. The darker girl hugged Elena, smiling.

"Elena! I'm so glad you're here," she exclaimed. Over Elena's shoulder, she saw the silent silhouette. "Damon," she said, her voice visibly dropping.

"Bonnie," he replied in the same tone, his voice cool. "You don't seem glad to see me. You don't hate me that much, do you?"

"Well, no," the girl admitted. "I just haven't seen you around, much. You guys aren't—"

"Bonnie, _no_," the other girl interrupted.

Bonnie recoiled, as though physically struck. "Elena…"

Elena shook her head. "I'm sorry Bonnie…"

"No, I shouldn't have said anything. I uh… I'll catch you guys later," she said, her voice nervous. "Caroline and Meredith are waiting."

"Bonnie—" Elena started, but the other girl was already gone. She sighed.

"Don't worry about it too much," Damon said from behind her. "She's respecting your space right now. And rightly so."

"It's been half a year, I shouldn't be so…"

"Cold?"

She glared at him. "I wouldn't say that."

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Come on." He held out his arm, and she took it.

"Thanks."

"Now, about that ferris wheel, for my stoner friend," the man said, looking around the park as though Elena couldn't see it from where they were standing. "Ah," he said, mockingly. "There we are."

"Seriously Damon, you don't have to do this for me."

He stared at her. "Seriously? We're already here, and you're apologizing?" He scoffed. "Honestly, I don't know how Stefan ever put up with you."

The mention of Stefan's name made her flinch. Damon didn't seem to notice this, or just refused to acknowledge it as he strode toward the ferris wheel.

A large poster leaned up against the iron spokes beside the ferris wheel, stating in big, bold letters: "Adults: $5 Children: $3." Elena stood in line beside Damon, but they didn't have to wait long, since there were so few people at the festival. The snow falling, probably. She blinked, surprised, at the operator.

"Matt," she whispered. He glanced up, and his face faded when he saw Elena.

"Elena. How… How are you?" he asked.

"I'm fine," she lied. "You?"

"I'm… fine," he replied.

Elena knew she had to say something, but nothing was coming to mind. Damon pushed the small of her back with his fore and middle finger and onto the ferris wheel.

"Damon—"

"Thanks, whatever your name is," he said to Matt, who frowned at Damon, but otherwise said nothing as Damon slapped a ten dollar bill in his change box.

Elena climbed into the small compartment. Damon sat on the other side of her, staring out the window.

"What is it about you humans and ferris wheels? I swear, this is so boring," he said aloud.

"We haven't started moving yet, Damon."

"Are you serious? I brought you out here to have fun, Elena. Throw me a bone here, something."

"What do you want me to say?" she asked, her voice heated. She hoped Matt couldn't hear from the outside, so she lowered her voice. "That I'm depressed Stefan's gone? Go on, you want to see me in pain over this. You of all people…" she trailed off.

"What?"

"You loved him more than I did," she said. "Can't you at least pretend that—" her voice choked, but she refused to stop as tears trailed down her cheeks. "Can't you at least pretend that it hurts, knowing he's gone?"

Damon said nothing. He didn't even turn from the window. Before Elena could speak again however, he sat beside her. "You have no idea, Elena. It's why I shut out all of my emotions. I don't want to feel like you humans do."

She stood up, her voice rising with each word. "Because you don't care, do you?"

He stood up next to her, his face dangerously close to hers. "You have no idea, Elena, how I feel. He was my brother."

The ferris wheel stopped moving, forcing Elena to stumble and sit down. She covered her face in her hands.

"It's all my fault that this happened," she murmured.

"Elena, it's not. If you had anything to do with his death, I would never have come near you again."

She looked up at his face. Never in her living memory had she seen so much pain in his eyes. "I loved him, I—" She stopped, afraid her voice would choke again.

She felt the cushion beside her sink down. She didn't turn toward him, but she felt his hand on her face, turning it slowly towards him. Still, she averted her gaze.

"Elena, look at me," Damon told her. Her eyes flickered up to his. His irises were what she would describe as icy blue. Ice broken by a deep hole. "None of this is your fault."

She reached her fingers up to grasp at his hand. She neither held it closer, nor pushed it away. "Damon…"

He leaned forward, his lips so close to hers, she nearly closed her eyes in anticipation. Her stomach flitted, her eyes glancing at his lips before she stared into his eyes.

_No, this is wrong. _Images of Stefan flitted across her mind. She didn't feel the dreamlike state of Damon's Power clouding her free will, but she felt herself being pulled closer to him. "Damon—"

"Isn't this a sweet meeting?" a familiar voice rang out. A voice similar to Elena's, but more foxish and alluring. "I told you: it's hard not to want them both."

Elena jerked away from Damon, as though stung. Her body froze.

"Katherine, you bitch," Damon growled.

"I wouldn't have expected this. Not even from you Elena, but I honestly don't blame you," Katherine continued, her eyes momentarily flitting to Damon's.

Katherine stood in the compartment, her hands placed confidently on her hips. After a brief gust of air, Elena guessed Katherine had entered the enclosed space with the ugly orange seats and closed the door too fast for any human eye to follow.

"What are you doing here, Katherine?" Elena asked, struggling to keep her voice level.

" 'What are you doing here?' she asks," Katherine said, her eyes narrowing. "I wanted to check on my little doppelganger. How are you, Elena?"

"I'd be great if you weren't here," the girl muttered, glaring at Katherine.

"Why, because you'd get to spend time with Damon?" Katherine asked. When Elena didn't answer, Katherine smiled.

"What do you want?" Damon asked, frowning at her. "You were never the type to be selfless. Spit it out."

"So eager," Katherine simpered, frowning at Damon.

"He's right," Elena told her.

"You both are so rude," Katherine commented. "I heard one among your number is no longer with you, is that true?"

Damon was up faster than Elena's eyes could visibly follow. His hand wrapped around Katherine's throat like a vice. "Shut up," he whispered, dangerously. "Don't think I won't kill you."

"Please Damon," the woman replied. "If you had wanted to, you'd have done it a long time ago."

With that, she pulled his fingers off of her throat. Damon's face was a mixture of surprise and anger, fighting against her strength. Katherine pulled away from his grip and struck him in the chest, his body immediately shooting backwards and landing beside Elena, his body bent at an unnatural angle.

"Damon!" Elena cried, staring down at him, wide eyed.

"Shut up," Katherine said.

"What do you want, Katherine?" Damon asked, glaring at her.

"Same thing you do," Katherine said, smirking.

"What could we possibly want that you do?" Elena snapped.

"Mm…" Katherine twirled a truss on her head between her fingers, mocking pensive thought. "Stefan."

Elena's heart thudded in her chest, pumping what felt like too much extra blood into her veins. Her stomach went into her throat.

"Stefan… How—"

"Elena, she's lying," Damon cut across her. "Let's go. It's not like she has anything new or useful to tell us."

Damon picked Elena up by the knees and upper back, pushing out of the compartment door that had already risen fifteen feet above ground.

They landed; Matt stood beside the compartment, about to usher in other people into the ferris wheel, his face the picture of shock, Elena realized, glancing at him over Damon's shoulder, who was poised and ready to take them far, far away. He barely let her down before Elena spoke.

"Damon—"

"Elena, it's _Katherine_. Do you really think she'd have anything better to do than to toy with other people's lives? Get over yourself, there's no way—"

"That Stefan's coming back?" Katherine asked behind them. Elena stared at her. It was a miracle Katherine had let them past the door.

Damon stopped abruptly, slowly turning back to her, slowly.

"That's ironic, _vampire,_" Katherine replied, nonchalantly. "What makes you so sure he won't be coming back?"

"How does this benefit you in any way, even if what you were saying were true, Katherine?" Damon spat.

"I've never seen you so worked up about something. Does it hurt, remembering how Stefan died?"

"Shut _up_, Katherine."

"What if I said Klaus could bring him back?" Katherine asked.

"That wouldn't happen, " Damon replied. The ice in his eyes intensified murderously.

"Fine," Katherine said, much to Elena's surprise. "I'll see you later, then."

Without a trace, she was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

***I'm just a humble fangirl! These characters are not mine!***

"Elena, no," Damon said, sharply. The two of them stood back at Damon's and previously Stefan's home. Elena leaned back against the couch, her arms folded, looking angry.

"And why _not, _Damon?" she asked. She crossed her legs, irritated.

"Because it's _Katherine, _Elena. How many times has she proposed something, and anything good has come of it? Exactly. _None._"

He turned his back to her. Elena couldn't stop the words from coming out of her mouth. "You just can't believe that he could come back. You're shutting him out. Would you do that, Damon? To your own _brother,_ you would just shut him out?"

He turned to her again. "Yes I would, Elena, because that's one of the great things about being a vampire. You can—" he mimed a curtain closing in front of his face with his palms. "Shut everything out. That includes you, Elena." He started pacing, walking to the steps towards the door, then to a pillar in the middle of the room.

She paused. "What's _that _supposed to mean? You couldn't shut me out, even if you wanted to, Damon."

Damon stopped pacing. "That's not the point, Elena." He smiled, a foxish smile. In any other case, it would have been seductive, but to Elena it was absolutely annoying. "See? I just shut you out again." His smile dropped.

"Why can't you at least accept the possibility that Stefan could come back, Damon? Why?" she asked, her fists now clenching at her sides.

"Why could you trust that woman? Katherine, the vampire Lilith herself?" he asked. "Ask yourself that before you think that Stefan come back to life. News flash, Elena. He was already dead."

"You loved him more than I did, Damon," Elena argued.

"Now you just make it sound like we had some kind of incestual pact," Damon commented.

"All those times that you ground his face into the dirt, you could have just killed him like any other person you've ever murdered," Elena said, her voice scathing. "That's it, right? But you don't want him back."

"Stop pretending that you can read my mind Elena, because it won't work," he said.

"Why won't you take the chance? If it's true, and Katherine's lying, we can defeat her together."

Damon scoffed. "Oh yeah, right? You and your puny human strengths. What are you going to do? Make a speech, like Katherine would listen and be the moral one? Get over yourself, Elena. No one is as pure as you. Especially not anyone in the same room with you right now."

"Stop it, Damon."

"Stop what? Being sensible?"

Elena sat down on the couch. "I'm done arguing with you. You're a hopeless case."

"Good, then get out of my house."

"I think I'll just stay here," she said, turning and laying down on the couch.

"You're kind of challenging a supernatural being," Damon said, sardonically.

"I kind of don't care," Elena replied, caustically.

Damon sighed. "Fine." He left the room.

Elena silently fumed and turned over on her side, thinking. It wasn't like Damon to be like this. He'd be the first one up to anything concerning helping Stefan.

To her surprise, something soft hit her in the head. "Hey!" she cried out, looking up at Damon. He smirked.

Elena looked down at what looked like gym shorts and a T-shirt.

"Don't worry, they're not Stefan's," he said.

"So... you're not going to kick me out?"

"Go change in the bathroom or something. Anything to keep you from moping," he told her. "You can have Stefan's bed. Though you might want to dust it a little. I haven't been in there for six months since…" He trailed off.

"I don't want to sleep in there," she said, automatically.

"It's either there or the couch. You can't have my bed, and I'm certainly not sleeping on the couch."

"Fair enough," Elena said.

Elena woke to sunlight streaming into the room through the large paned windows. She propped her hand up on her chin, her elbow pressing into the pillow. Damon's T-shirt drowned her. She had to tighten the drawstrings on the shorts just to get them to fit her waist. They fit though, and that was much better than sleeping in day clothes. She sat up, wrapping a blanket around her shoulders, her left leg crossing under her, her right leg stretched out.

"Awake, finally?" Damon's voice asked.

She shivered. "Yeah."

"Do you have any work today?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No, I'm off."

"Good," he said.

"Why?"

"We're going on a joy ride," he said.

"We're not stealing a car, Damon," Elena admonished.

"Fine, then we can use Stefan's car."

"_Damon_."

"Relax, I haven't touched it."

She paused, looking down at the ground. "You know, I never made you out to be a sensitive kind of guy, but you seriously push the wrong buttons sometimes," she muttered, turning her back to him. "I thought you'd have a little more tact. Of all people, you loved Stefan more than anyone."

"As you keep saying," Damon said. "Stefan wouldn't want you to be like this you know, Elena. If anything, I'm doing him a favor."

"By sullying his name, speaking about him so disrespectfully? Not to me," she replied.

Elena wanted Damon to apologize, somehow make up for those terrible things he said about Stefan. For several seconds he didn't answer, until she felt him sit beside her on the couch. This was probably going to be the closest thing to an apology that he ever could come up with. She turned away from him, but she felt his hand, strong and firm, pull on her arm to force her to look at him.

"Elena, come on. Stefan wouldn't want you to be like this. He'd want you to move on."

She laughed, practically in his face. He didn't flinch, though he frowned. "Elena, I'm being serious," he told her.

"He might want me to move on, _you _might want me to move on, but I _can't _move on. Damon, don't you understand that?" She liked to think that she forced his fingers away from her arm, but they both knew he had let her. "Every day when I wake up, knowing that I'll never see him again hurts." She clutched her chest, where her heart beat sluggishly, painfully. "You can never understand that, Damon. No one can. So shut up about my moving on from him. I. _Can't_."

She looked into his blue eyes, challenging him. His normally placid face changed—twitched momentarily into a look of—was it pain, or shame? He stared back into her eyes, his face changed back into its blank demeanor. No, he would never willingly show her that part of himself to her. But it was there, a look of suffering that could never be erased from his heart, as much as he tried to hide it. He had shown her, and that was all she ever needed to see.

"I know you miss him," Elena said. "I can see it."

"Elena…" His fingers brushed her hair away from her face, tugging it gently behind her ear. She nearly twisted away from him, but she remained sitting, looking into his eyes. She hadn't realized how close he was sitting beside her. He was so warm, and his face was coming closer to hers. Her eyes widened, but she did nothing but stare at him.

_This is wrong, _she thought. Images of Stefan penetrated her mind's eye, painfully. _This is wrong, this is wrong, this is wrong. _

Their lips touched, and Elena was lost momentarily in a kiss. She closed her eyes.

_Maybe Damon was right, _she thought. But she still felt like the kiss was an insult to Stefan's memory. That they shouldn't be doing this, but to back away now would be hurtful to both of them.

Elena felt determined not to let go of him until he broke away first. Which was not long, as he did several seconds after that thought.

She stared at him, feeling her eyelids widen, then lower. She slowly leaned away from him, though not repulsed. Her lips curled inward, and her eyes trailed downward to her hands.

"How about that joy ride, then?" He asked, smiling.

Elena shuddered from the cold outside, despite the coat around her. She wondered if the kiss had been a dream or not. Damon's face certainly didn't give way to any indicators. She pictured Stefan, hurt that they had kissed, hurt that she had thought for a second about loving Damon. But the consideration flashed across her mind that maybe Damon was right when he wanted her to move on.

_So he could have me? _she thought, staring at him. It was a possibility that she certainly couldn't just rule out. Though Elena knew of his feelings for her, she tried to ignore them. It wasn't a secret that Damon loved her, but somehow during all those months with Stefan and Damon, Damon had somehow put all of his emotions on the backburner. Of course, vampires could do that. Damon turned off his emotions more often than Stefan did. Elena couldn't understand the paranormal light switch that he could turn off and on at will, as if Damon couldn't see something, it obviously wasn't there. Elena wasn't sure she believed in the idea, anyway.

The need for blood was much more powerful than the need for love. Or so Elena thought until Stefan showed her otherwise. As a vampire, things had to be much more permanent, seeing as they were immortal, so it wasn't surprising the amount of devotion that Stefan had shown to her.

She imagined Katherine's face, her foxish eyes gleaming. _What if I said Klaus could bring him back? _

Elena wanted nothing more than for Stefan to come back, hold her in his arms, and kiss this whole nightmare away.

There was no way that could happen, Elena thought. Stefan had disappeared without a trace. Damon had gone looking for him, determined. But every night he would come back to Elena looking like a whipped dog.

"It's no use," he said to her after three months. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw him come into her bedroom.

Elena didn't even admonish him. "What's no use?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. She had a fanfiction up on her laptop that she was working on. She pushed the portable computer away from herself and turned to him. "What are you talking about?"

"Elena, we need to talk about this. Stefan isn't coming back."

Looking back on that night, Elena remembered that she screamed at him, maybe threw a book or two at him as the conversation grew more and more heated. He had come to her just the month before, and she was calm and cordial enough to him that they began to see each other more and more, though very sparsely.

If Damon had wanted to lie to her, he would have come out and said something by now, wouldn't he have? She looked toward him again. Maybe the reason why he was so adamant about Stefan not coming back had something to do with that.

No, Damon would never lie to her again. Not now. Even Damon had the tact to not hurt her like that.

"You're not going to get another kiss if you keep staring at me like that," he said. His hand was poised on the steering wheel. Elena looked out of the passenger side window, at the trees flashing by. Her fingers trailed down the window.

"Yeah…" She trailed off. "About that…"

"I can make you forget it, you know," he mused.

Elena clutched at the vervain necklace chain resting on her chest. "You can't," she said.

"Elena, you know I can take that thing off and use compulsion. It's as easy as that. It might burn for a while, but I won't die from touching vervain."

"You wouldn't, though."

"What makes you so sure of that?"

"Why would you want me to forget?" she countered.

"You'd feel guilty that Saint Stefan's vampiric spirit is watching you, depressed that his older brother kissed his ex girlfriend."

"Former," she corrected.

"Cut out the euphemisms, Elena. They're synonyms."

"You could have the tact to recognize the euphemisms, Damon."

"I did," he replied.

"Then use them," she snapped.

Damon laughed, dryly. "What a happy couple we would have made."

"Shut up," Elena shot.


	3. Chapter 3

***These are not my characters, I am just a fangirl.***

Elena looked out of the window of Damon's car. She covered her mouth with the palm of her hand, leaning into the rim of the window. A river flowed to the side of the road, and a gravel path seemed to wind alongside it. The road seemed worn down, used so much that even the yellow lines lining the side seemed to fade.

"You're ignoring me," Damon said. His fingertips curled around the steering wheel, almost gripping them in a vice. Despite his face being blank, she knew he was tense.

"Shut up," Elena said. She continued to stare out the window, glaring at the trees outside of the window.

Damon slowed the car down, and Elena looked at him sharply. "What are you doing?"

"I thought this would be a romantic walk, along the river."

"Damon—"

"Come on." He smiled foxily. "You'll like it."

The car came to a slow stop. Damon got out of the car, and before Elena could reach for her door handle, the door opened to admit Damon smiling down at her. "Elena."

"Damon," she said warily.

A small decline of gravel came before the path beside the river. Elena looked at it dubiously, but before she could say anything, she felt him pick her up, his hand under the crook of her knees, and one hand under her upper back. She cried out, but Damon had already jumped down to the riverside.

"Damon—"

"You keep saying my name, but I'm not hearing much from you," he said, smiling. "Relax, Elena. I've never seen you so uptight before. I kissed you. So what?"

"So…" Elena frowned. "It's not like you can go around and do things like that when you want to."

"You didn't back away from it," Damon argued. "Why are you acting like it was such a horrible thing?"

Elena felt the gravel under her feet crunch. Her face began to heat up. "It kind of is."

"You just feel bad that Saint Stefan might have seen you."

"Stefan's dead," she spat.

"Then why do you feel guilty about it?"

Elena said nothing. "I still love Stefan."

"You still have feelings for him, you mean," Damon said, his voice dropping. Elena could hear the disappointment and hurt in his voice. As far as Damon's face could convey.

"Why is it that every time I come across the two of you, there's some sort of lovefest going on?" another voice asked, and Elena felt her face heat up even more than before.

"Katherine," Damon said, and his voice dropped to a menacing level.

"Damon," she replied.

Elena couldn't help herself. "Do you have any news from Stefan?" she asked.

Damon's face gave nothing away, but Katherine simpered. "Oh, still thinking of Stefan? That's a low blow."

"Just tell us, Katherine," Damon said, irritably.

"Two words," Katherine said. "A witch."

Damon frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Stefan isn't dead," she said.

"What?" Damon and Elena asked, disbelieving. Damon continued "You could have said something earlier, Katherine."

"I couldn't help but notice the little romance between you two. I didn't want to ruin it for you," Katherine replied, a smirk on her face.

"Shut up," Damon said. Elena's face paled, but her eyes showed a hint, a spark of hope. Damon continued:"Where is my brother?"

"Who wants to know?" Katherine smiled. She started to half twirl on the spot. Before Elena could say anything, Damon's fingers curled around Katherine's throat, and he pushed her back against a nearby tree. Elena heard the tree trunk crack under the impact.

"Damon, don't!" Elena stared at him, pleading. She had no other means of stopping him. "Don't you want Stefan to come back?"

"Save your breath Elena, the only way of making her tell us anything is by force."

"You haven't changed Damon," Katherine said to him, smiling. The palms of her hands pushed up under his wrists faster than Elena's eyes could see. Swiftly pushing up, Katherine smirked slightly, and Damon's fingers jerked up in a sickening crack. Damon forced himself not to move, but a distinct look of pain crossed his face.

"Does it hurt, vampire?" Katherine asked, her face serious, then. "No matter how many times you heal, I can still break you, Damon. And that's what you don't understand about me."

Forcing her back against the tree, she pushed off and kicked out at Damon's knees then, and two simultaneous cracks resounded throughout the wood.

"Damon!" Elena cried out. He finally sunk to the ground, groaning, closing his eyes.

Elena held the back of his head in her lap. She looked up at Katherine, glaring, daring her to try anything more. "Haven't you done enough?" she spat. "If you're going to tell us about Stefan fine, but if you aren't, just screw off."

Damon shot up from where he lay, and struck out at Katherine again.

"Don't you understand, Damon? You can't kill me!" Katherine yelled. "You're weak, do you hear me? Weak!"

"I'll be the judge of that," Damon said, but Katherine struck at him again, this time with the bare of her fingertips seeming to brush against his chest, he was thrown back to the ground again in a thud.

Damon clutched at his chest, moaning. Elena stared at him, disbelieving.

"Do you actually think I was stupid enough to come here without some kind of backup?" Katherine asked, her voice a menace. "I had to drink from a few living blood bags before I came here. When was the last time you fed, Damon?"

He didn't answer, but turned over on his stomach, moaning. Elena wondered if he was going to retch on the ground or not, but he slowly stood up to face Katherine.

"Like it or not Damon, you're under my thumb. Start acting like a good little vampire, and I won't have to hurt you anymore."

"Screw you Katherine," Damon said, scowling at her.

"Been there, done that," she said, simpering again. "Don't you want to know about what happened to your little brother?"

"You said something about a witch," Elena said, desperate for Katherine's attention to be anywhere but Damon's.

"You've been highly annoying, doppelganger," Katherine said. "Unfortunately, unlike Damon, you can be killed a lot easier. Count yourself lucky I don't slit your throat right now. But yes Elena, he's been involved with a witch, and a rather nasty one at that."

"What do you mean?" Elena frowned. "Is Stefan alive?"

"I thought we had already established this. Yes, Stefan is alive."

"Where is he?" Elena had to force herself not to scream at Katherine.

"He's with a witch named Almira Wright," Katherine said.

After a pause, Damon asked, "Why does 'Wright' sound vaguely familiar?"

"It's a family surname you should know."

"Get to the point, Katherine," Damon replied, his voice a flare.

"Search back in your memory Damon, if you want to see Stefan again," she told him.


	4. Chapter 4

Prue L. Lawrence—1/11/2015

**This isn't my story, this is L.J. Smith's! I love her stories, and I am just a humble fan girl! I hope you like it, and thank you for reading it! Btw, sorry I had to delete the last chapter because I forgot a disclaimer. I'm kind of a ditz sometimes. Anyway, I hope you like it! 3 3 3**

The river beside them bubbled contentedly, licking against the boulders of the shoreside. Large trunked trees surrounded them, and Elena rested her hand on one of them, her fingers gripping the bark that cut into her fingers.

Elena stared at the two vampires, mutely. What do you mean, 'search back' into his memory?" she asked. Elena began to feel a pain in her chest. Stefan was alive. But—her mind reminded her of the moment between her and Damon, and she shivered.

_I'm sorry, Stefan. _

Katherine simpered. Small hands folded behind her back."It's no secret that Damon is a murderer. Stefan, too. I'll give you that hint, at least. If Damon _can _remember, that is."

Elena looked at Damon, whose face was, while composed, paling. "Katherine, if you know something about Stefan—"

"I suppose you can't guess," Katherine replied. "I would expect nothing less of you, Damon. You never can remember those people you've murdered in the past."

"Stop it!" Elena shouted. "He's changed, can't you see that, Katherine? So has Stefan. Stop bringing up the past. If you know something about Stefan, then tell us. Please." Her voice faltered as Katherine's icy stare turned to her.

"He's with a witch," Katherine said. "In a certain comatose state I can only assume is some kind of spell."

Elena sighed, relief flooding through her. "So he's alive?"

"Didn't I just say that?" Katherine replied, raising a delicate eyebrow.

"Don't trust her," Damon shot. "Whatever you're proposing, I'm not coming with you, Katherine. I'm not going to cooperate."

"I'm not sure we have a choice," Elena said through clenched teeth.

"Smart girl," Katherine commented.

"Okay Katherine, what do you suggest?" Damon said, his voice so icy it could have made fire blow out like a wisp.

"I've been tracking this witch," Katherine continued. "She and Stefan are far from here."

"For how long?" Elena asked. Katherine seemed to be more compliant, because she didn't make a sarcastic gesture at Elena's question.

"If you're wondering about the time that Stefan disappeared, I have to admit it took a long time to actually find him. I only actually found where he was a week ago."

"What made you think he was actually alive?" Damon as well, began to show, Elena was surprised to see, interest in what Katherine was saying. If Katherine was going to force them onto a journey to find Stefan, Elena began to wonder if, for the first time, Katherine was telling the truth.

Katherine pursed her lips. "I didn't. But I also couldn't believe that Stefan could just up and die. He's softhearted, but he's not exactly a kitten, either. Which asks the question—Why weren't _you _looking for him? Elena, I'm disappointed in you."

"You have no right to be disappointed in her," Damon shot. "If you're going to take us to where Stefan is, quit acting like some saint and detouring from the conversation."

"He's in Michigan," Katherine said, rather suddenly. Elena's head swam. _Michigan… _If anything, knowing a location made it all the more clear in her mind that Stefan was alive. She reminded herself, _Why would Katherine go to all of this trouble to lie to them? _Katherine was known to manipulate people.

Elena's counterpart seemed to relish in Elena's confused and somewhat flummoxed face. "Aren't you wondering whether or not to trust me? You should."

"What kind of a statement is that?" Damon asked. His eyebrows arched, his eyes gleaming, expression dangerous.

"I'll give you a few days to think about it." Katherine addressed the last to Elena: "Michigan, Elena. Think about it."

"But why would you need us?" Elena asked desperately as Katherine turned to leave. Elena noted that Katherine's body was just as slender and small as her own, as her twin-but-not-twin turned to look at her. "You've already proved how strong you were." She nodded to Damon. "You could have killed us. Why not?"

Katherine raised a delicate eyebrow. "You two better than anyone I know would be able to bring Stefan back. If he couldn't have the will just to see my face, I figured—" she shrugged "—he would for you."

A rustling of leaves and a rush of air. Katherine was gone.

Damon grunted; he must have held that in for several minutes, now. "That woman can hit—hard."

Elena knelt beside him, looking at him, willing Damon to look at her back. "Michigan, Damon."

He slid his back down against a tree, and she sat beside him. He sighed and looked straight ahead.

"Damon, look at me."

"Elena, what is there _to _say? Katherine strikes a deal and she gets what she wants. What if this is all just a fluke?"

"Damon, you know Katherine wouldn't go through all of this trouble just to fool us. You saw how she fought you. She could have annihilated the both of us—but she didn't. Doesn't that at least convince you in _some _way, Damon?"

"What does she have to gain? Stefan? If she know where he is—"

"Maybe he's trying to fool her, make her think Katherine is me." Elena knew it was ridiculous to feel hurt that Stefan would misunderstand which of them was which. Then again, he hadn't before, somehow. Maybe their Powers were different, like they were different colors. As though Katherine were a bloodred, and Elena's was a deep purple. But Katherine had tried to trick him before. She should have known they were different.

Damon seemed to sense her thoughts. "Are you really that stupid?" His voice rang through the woods. "Even my idiotic little brother can tell the difference between you and that witch."

Elena smiled, grimly. "If she were a witch, she might have found out where Stefan was before this all happened." She felt a lump come to her throat, and another fresh wave of guilt for kissing Damon.

But looking at him now… How his fine black hair rustled slightly in the breeze over his eyes. How the fine contours of his body were outlined by his dark gray shirt. An image of Stefan shattered this image, and she nearly held her head in guilt. She hadn't realized tears were coming to her eyes when she felt Damon put his arms around her.

"...Damon?" she asked, but he responded with a soft _ssh_ as he stroked her long hair in his fingers. His body felt warm, despite him not actually being alive anymore. She felt somewhat awkward, simply sitting like this, but she felt comfort from him, even if this was among the most _un_-Damon-like things he had ever done.

"Michigan. We'll find him, Elena. We have to."

5


	5. Chapter 5

Prue L. Lawrence—1/22/2015

**Disclaimer, these are not my characters! Thanks for reading! I really appreciate any comments/reviews or followers. Thank you for your support!**

Chapter 5: Reconsidering

Damon began to act more like his older self—Elena could see new life in his eyes. She knew he was handsome. She knew it from the moment she saw him. Ever since Stefan died, no… disappeared, Elena had to admit she had seen Damon more as a potential lover.

At first she refused to admit something like that. Though she believed Stefan was gone, she still felt a sense of duty to him—never to let him go, ever. Since he had been forcibly taken from Elena, it wasn't anything she could control.

Her stomach roiled, knowing Katherine went looking for him and Elena didn't. There was a casket, but no body inside. Elena cried hysterically at the funeral, thinking that she would never see Stefan again. Damon had to lead her away. It was raining that day. The chill brought some distraction to her grief. Elena stole a glance at Damon before he pulled open the car door for her. Raining or not, she swore she saw tears streaming silently down his placid face. If there was anyone Damon loved the most in the world, it was his little brother.

She felt guilty, knowing that if anyone knew how to survive, it was Stefan. And she had been stupid enough to believe he was dead.

She now held onto this knowledge with a vice, but her mind scattered when she saw Damon walking into the Salvatores' living room, two mugs in his hand. She sat on the couch, her hands clasped tersely together, staring at the geometric window to the outside. Rhombuses, lined down the middle, surrounded by other triangles. Sun streamed in from the outside.

Damon extended one of the mugs to her. "Coffee?"

She eyed him warily as she took the cup. He frowned.

"You look like I poisoned it or something."

"No," she murmured. "It's not that."

Elena knew Damon understood at once, but he had the tact for once not to say anything. Instead he sat beside her, letting himself sink back into the couch.

"Coffee's a little too weak for you, isn't it?" she asked, still staring straight ahead. "Normally you drink a few shots when you're going to think."

"Thinking's a dangerous pastime," he replied. "Especially if you're drunk."

Elena leaned back in the cushions as well, staring at him. His dark eyes stared evenly back, calm. But something like pain gleamed there.

"I should have known," he murmured, half of his face in the pillow. He closed his eyes. "I should have been able to feel Stefan's Power."

"Stop it," Elena said. "Katherine said there was a witch involved. She could have somehow… turned it off so you couldn't feel it. Like how you can…"

"Shut out my emotions?" he asked.

Elena's eyes fluttered, closing finally. "I wish I could."

"That's part of being human though, isn't it?" Damon asked, still staring at her. She opened her eyes and met his gaze again, confused.

"What do you mean?"

"It means you still have a heart, Elena. It means that no matter what, you can _feel, _whether or not you want to. And that's a beautiful thing. To feel is to be alive. And I haven't been alive in a long time. It's why Stefan loves you. It's why I—" He cut himself off abruptly, looking downward.

Elena stared at him, silently. Damon, the strong, silent type letting out his feelings? Why he what? She knew the answer, yet was afraid to voice anything.

Without thinking, she pushed herself closer to him, and without a word, pressed her lips to his. He kissed her back, more gently than Elena expected. For a vampire, he knew how to kiss tenderly.

_This is wrong, _she thought desperately. Images of Stefan appeared in her mind, penetrating her like gunshot wounds. But as he pulled her closer, the images shut out. Damon, who Elena knew she would never have admitted she loved, but he had cared for her, protected her, even after Stefan was gone.

She pulled away as gently as she could.

Because it was Damon, he smiled coyly. "Can't get enough of me, can you?" His eyes smiled with his lips. Elena felt her face flush.

"We're going to find Stefan," she said. "We can't leave him to some witch. He's your brother, and he's important to the both of us."

He sat up, slowly. "Without Katherine?"

Elena couldn't help but wonder if Damon shut out his feelings for her, Why his face suddenly turned cold and calculating.

She nodded. "Without Katherine."

**Author's question—too many kiss scenes? Let me know. :)**

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